," grunted Slosson. "How'll we ever break the news to 'em?"

The soldiers shook their heads blankly.

"Want a suggestion as to the gentlest way of breaking the news back
home, Slosson?" inquired Lieutenant Prescott.

"We'd surely be grateful for it, sir," answered Slosson.

"Then we'll coax Sergeant Overton to wire back requesting full rations
for seventeen days for seventeen men."

"It'd be a bad trick, sir."

"How so?"

"The post commissary sergeant would be that mad he'd poison the grub,
sir, before shipping it."

"I believe he would," agreed Mr. Prescott thoughtfully. "For the men
back in barracks are looking for at least four tons of game food."

Bang! Bang!

"Hello! What's that?" cried Noll, starting up and listening.

"Queer question for a soldier to be askin'," mocked Private Kelly.

Bang-bang-bang!

"Wirra, but that feller can't stop to take breath between his shooting,"
remarked Private Kelly.

"Those shots," declared Lieutenant Prescott, "sound out in the
direction where I left Sergeant Overton."

"He's struck something," declared Noll gleefully.

"Some of us had better go out there," hinted Lieutenant Prescott, rising
from the campstool that he had brought out from his tent. "Either the
sergeant is in trouble, or else he's bagging a wagonload of game."

"Bang-bang!" sounded the distant rifle.

"He's moving, anyway, whoever he is," declared Sergeant Noll.

"Hello, there!"

"'Lo yerselves!" yelled back Kelly.

Another group of men came, and right after them the remainder of the
hunters save one.

Bang-bang!

"Now we know it's Sergeant Overton out there," announced Lieutenant
Prescott. Then he turned to Noll.

"Sergeant Terry, you're in charge. What are you going to do about it?"

CHAPTER XVII

BIG GAME AND A NIGHT IN CAMP

"IT'S a bad time to follow through the woods," remarked Corporal Cotter.
"There goes the sun behind the tops."

"It'll be dark within five or six minutes more," said Noll. "If Hal
Overton is running about in the woods, I think the best thing to do will
be to run two lanterns up to the tree top, so that Overton can locate
the camp. Then, if he's in any further difficulty, he'll fire the rifle
signal. What do you think, lieutenant?"

"Nothing," replied Mr. Prescott promptly. "You're in temporary command
here, Sergeant Terry."

"Run up the camp lights, Johnson," Noll directed.

These lights, a red and a green one, were quickly run up on halyards